Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 234 - 24: A Stirring Call, Respondents Flock!

Chapter 234: Chapter 24: A Stirring Call, Respondents Flock!

"You were the sixteenth to fall." Tian Shan said.

"The sixteenth to fall?" Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised. He thought he would be among the last few."

"The top-tier geniuses’ falling times are quite close." Tian Shan smiled, "Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing only lasted ten breaths longer than you. The last one standing, however, was Feng Qiu."

"In the final stage, it comes down to a bit of luck as well."

Zhao Xing nodded slightly.

Indeed, in the final few dozen, it’s no longer about one’s strength.

It depends on the position of the strongest opponents across from you and who you choose to target.

As Zhao Xing knew, the strongest two geniuses from the military department, Xia Jing and Fu Ying, had both reached the late stage eighth-grade and had even mastered martial skills beyond the Nine Revolutions.

If luck was bad, encountering these two first in the final stage could easily push one out of the top twenty-one.

"[Incapable training], done every other day."

"During this time, you can attend selection training in various academies."

"For others, just attaining a rating of C is a passing grade."

"But you, for selection training, must at least achieve a grade of A to be considered qualified." Tian Shan said, "For top-tier treatments, you need to complete ten selection trainings a year, and each must be rated A. Anything below an A does not count."

"Understood." Zhao Xing nodded, "Then I shall take my leave."

"Go ahead."

....

Leaving the Rich Spring Garden, the path to his residence was bustling with activity.

Everywhere, people were discussing [Incapable training].

"Pain, it was too painful, those guys from the military department hit too hard!"

"Tell me about it, they literally tore my rear end apart!"

"Brother, are you sure someone hit you and you weren’t trampled?"

"Did you fall immediately? Who specifically targets the buttocks with martial skills?"

...

"Xia Jing and Fu Ying from the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Institute are too powerful. I checked the rankings on the martial artist side, and they’re first and second."

"Guess how many people they knocked out?"

"How many?"

"Xia Jing knocked out one thousand one hundred and twenty-three people, and Fu Ying knocked out one thousand and eighty-five. Just the two of them knocked out more than a fifth of the total!"

"What? That’s ridiculous!"

"It is indeed ridiculous. These two are overwhelmingly strong. The others don’t even come close. For our Agricultural Supervision, Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing are clearly a cut above the rest."

"I’m not so sure. Zhao Xing, who ranked third in the fourth test last time, is also pretty strong."

"Zhao Xing isn’t weak, but I feel he’s not overwhelmingly strong. He might just get surpassed if someone caught up to him."

"Maybe because Zhao Xing is more low-key. I rarely see him sparring or making bets with others these past two months. Meanwhile, Shi Yong’s rating at the Nine-Section Dojo has reached level three, and he hasn’t lost yet!"

"Zhuang Ziqing also reached level three. He even defeated a ’Commander’ from the Zhenhai Army at the Nine-Section Dojo. That military officer commands several hundred soldiers, yet he lost in a sparring match."

"That makes sense. I’ve heard that Feng Qiu, Guan Junyang, Cao Shuang, and others have performed well at the Nine-Section Dojo, but I’ve never heard of Zhao Xing."

"..."

....

"Do I have a chasm of difference with Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong?"

Zhao Xing listened to the discussions in the wind.

Having been in the Ten Suns Cave Heaven for two months, aside from unavoidable training or essential shopping trips, he rarely went to public areas, let alone socialized.

Only Han Bing had seen him a few more times, normally he kept a very low profile.

"Though I have a gap compared to Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing, it shouldn’t be that wide, should it? Is it because of the Nine-Section Dojo’s record?" Zhao Xing pondered.

’Minister of Agriculture Nine-section Army’ was specialized in warfare.

[Nine-Section Dojo] was also a unique feature of the Military Realm, where anyone could go to the [Nine-Section Dojo] to have sparring matches with other military officers.

In the two months since entering Ten Suns Cave Heaven, Zhao Xing focused solely on cultivation, avoiding distractions. He naturally hadn’t been to the [Nine-Section Dojo] to bet and earn points."

"It seems this is the reason the outside world thinks the gap between me and others is so vast."

"But I’ve only studied the three secret manuals for a short time and haven’t started comprehending the Jieqi Stele. I’m not in a rush to enter the [Nine-Section Dojo]." Zhao Xing thought to himself.

He had his own plans and wouldn’t be easily swayed by external comments.

"This month, I’ll first complete the [Incapable training] and also take on a few selection trainings."

Zhao Xing wasn’t in a hurry to start selection training. The most important thing now was [Incapable training]. If his ranking dropped out of the top 21 three times in a row, he would be downgraded.

This time, Zhao Xing ranked sixteenth, only five places short of falling out!

Marquis Tian said that the final stage involved some luck, but he also mentioned that Zhuang Ziqing and Shi Yong lasted ten breaths longer!

"Kui Niu Thunder Roar, Folded Sound Technique, still have room for improvement."

"Cultivation of the Yin Yang Self Scripture also needs continuous comprehension." Zhao Xing reviewed, "In the final stage, my execution of Kui Niu Thunder Roar was already a bit off. Mainly due to excessive primordial energy consumption and injuries, allowing Xia Jing to easily reach me."

"If I were at my peak, a single roar? No matter how strong Xia Jing and Fu Ying are, they couldn’t withstand my Kui Niu Thunder Roar and knock me out."

"Stronger power would allow me to last longer in the final stage."

"After a few encounters, those geniuses from the military department will find me difficult to deal with and will naturally target others first." Zhao Xing thought to himself, "Though it seems like luck, strength also influences the enemy’s choices."

....